PAM Dirac
@pam-dirac.bsky.social
PhD chemist retired after 40+ years in cancer research. Spend my time now doing astronomy, growing grapes, and making wine. Occasionally hang out at Balloon Juice.
Waving Free Vineyard
https://wavingfree.smugmug.com/Vineyard/2019/Overview2019/n-wbgjbw
Waving Free Vineyard
https://wavingfree.smugmug.com/Vineyard/2019/Overview2019/n-wbgjbw
There is also a similar project based in Europe called ExoClock. www.exoclock.space
ExoClock
ExoClock is a project to monitor the ephemerides of transiting exoplanets.
Everyone with a telescope and a CCD camera can participate!
www.exoclock.space
December 27, 2025 at 3:38 PM
There is also a similar project based in Europe called ExoClock. www.exoclock.space
If you get interested in this enough to do on a regular basis, you might consider contributing to Exoplanet Watch. science.nasa.gov/citizen-scie...
Exoplanet Watch Overview - NASA Science
Who we are: A NASA citizen science project, sponsored by NASA's Universe of Learning, we help anyone explore exoplanets at any level, from
science.nasa.gov
December 27, 2025 at 3:22 PM
If you get interested in this enough to do on a regular basis, you might consider contributing to Exoplanet Watch. science.nasa.gov/citizen-scie...
Was just up to Damiani last month. They have a lot of good stuff. Of course most of the wineries around Seneca have lots of good stuff. We used to go up almost every year but got out of the habit when Covid hit. Time to get back in the habit.
December 18, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Was just up to Damiani last month. They have a lot of good stuff. Of course most of the wineries around Seneca have lots of good stuff. We used to go up almost every year but got out of the habit when Covid hit. Time to get back in the habit.
Even if (1) is valid does the new prosecutor dump all of Halligan's other bullshit and if so does the whole indictment get no billed or do they pretend that they can repeat all the bullshit and get away with it?
December 2, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Even if (1) is valid does the new prosecutor dump all of Halligan's other bullshit and if so does the whole indictment get no billed or do they pretend that they can repeat all the bullshit and get away with it?
Not that any of drumpf's decisions could be called well thought out, but I would guess "I turned a -20 swing into a -15 swing" wouldn't exactly be an effective rallying cry. It's likely a panic move to just get a win and never speak of the margin.
December 2, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Not that any of drumpf's decisions could be called well thought out, but I would guess "I turned a -20 swing into a -15 swing" wouldn't exactly be an effective rallying cry. It's likely a panic move to just get a win and never speak of the margin.
Tapestry - Carole King www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR5T...
Carole King - Tapestry (Official Audio)
YouTube video by CaroleKingVEVO
www.youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Tapestry - Carole King www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR5T...
Protein structure is really useful in discovering and developing chemical leads. Most estimates I've seen put lead discovery at 2-3% of the the time and expense of drug discovery, so even if you reduce this part to zero, you don't make a radical change in the cost and time of finding new drugs.
November 17, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Protein structure is really useful in discovering and developing chemical leads. Most estimates I've seen put lead discovery at 2-3% of the the time and expense of drug discovery, so even if you reduce this part to zero, you don't make a radical change in the cost and time of finding new drugs.
Right, which is all I said in the first place. I'm retired now, but I spent about 30 years in drug discovery and I saw a lot new techniques come in with a lot of hype. A lot of them turned out to be useful, but none hugely changed the basic challenge of drug discovery.
November 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Right, which is all I said in the first place. I'm retired now, but I spent about 30 years in drug discovery and I saw a lot new techniques come in with a lot of hype. A lot of them turned out to be useful, but none hugely changed the basic challenge of drug discovery.
Did you even read the link?
Quote:
On the other hand, most scientists report that despite the dramatic development of deep learning-based technologies for structural prediction, there are strong limitations when it comes to their application to drug discovery problems.
Quote:
On the other hand, most scientists report that despite the dramatic development of deep learning-based technologies for structural prediction, there are strong limitations when it comes to their application to drug discovery problems.
November 17, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Did you even read the link?
Quote:
On the other hand, most scientists report that despite the dramatic development of deep learning-based technologies for structural prediction, there are strong limitations when it comes to their application to drug discovery problems.
Quote:
On the other hand, most scientists report that despite the dramatic development of deep learning-based technologies for structural prediction, there are strong limitations when it comes to their application to drug discovery problems.
Not everyone in the field is impressed. See www.science.org/content/blog...
Quote:
For now, I am not convinced that issuing press releases about your compounds that talk about their discovery through AI techniques is sufficient to expect greater things from them.
Also check the comments.
Quote:
For now, I am not convinced that issuing press releases about your compounds that talk about their discovery through AI techniques is sufficient to expect greater things from them.
Also check the comments.
AI Drugs So Far
www.science.org
November 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Not everyone in the field is impressed. See www.science.org/content/blog...
Quote:
For now, I am not convinced that issuing press releases about your compounds that talk about their discovery through AI techniques is sufficient to expect greater things from them.
Also check the comments.
Quote:
For now, I am not convinced that issuing press releases about your compounds that talk about their discovery through AI techniques is sufficient to expect greater things from them.
Also check the comments.
Significantly exaggerated. Especially the impact on drug discovery. See www.science.org/content/blog....
Quote:
There was a lot of hype at first about how drug discovery was going to take this huge leap forward, ... , but that's very much overstated for a number of reasons.
Quote:
There was a lot of hype at first about how drug discovery was going to take this huge leap forward, ... , but that's very much overstated for a number of reasons.
The 2024 Chemistry Nobel: Computational Protein Design
www.science.org
November 17, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Significantly exaggerated. Especially the impact on drug discovery. See www.science.org/content/blog....
Quote:
There was a lot of hype at first about how drug discovery was going to take this huge leap forward, ... , but that's very much overstated for a number of reasons.
Quote:
There was a lot of hype at first about how drug discovery was going to take this huge leap forward, ... , but that's very much overstated for a number of reasons.
Reposted by PAM Dirac
EVEN IF THEY WERE CHARGED, the fact that a guy wearing official CBP kit was filming them like this would be a privacy violation.
October 7, 2025 at 7:13 PM
EVEN IF THEY WERE CHARGED, the fact that a guy wearing official CBP kit was filming them like this would be a privacy violation.
Teroldego is mainly grown in the Trentino wine region of northern Italy, but has gotten some serious interest for how well it grows in MD. I think it is a little like merlot in that it is a bit on the plain side by itself, but really boosts a meal. Add fresh cooked tomato sauce and simple is great.
September 10, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Teroldego is mainly grown in the Trentino wine region of northern Italy, but has gotten some serious interest for how well it grows in MD. I think it is a little like merlot in that it is a bit on the plain side by itself, but really boosts a meal. Add fresh cooked tomato sauce and simple is great.
The wine is beautifully rich and complex. We have been drinking and enjoying Château de Beaucastel wines for over 30 years and this wine delivers that same quality. Which is great because the Beaucastel wines seem harder to get these days.
September 10, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The wine is beautifully rich and complex. We have been drinking and enjoying Château de Beaucastel wines for over 30 years and this wine delivers that same quality. Which is great because the Beaucastel wines seem harder to get these days.
Additional comments
My wife and I started doing these dinners to slow down and really taste the wine with foods. It has been very enlightening. Bordeaux with beef may be a cliche, but it is wonderful. Interestingly, the last half glass after the meal was finished was no where near as interesting.
My wife and I started doing these dinners to slow down and really taste the wine with foods. It has been very enlightening. Bordeaux with beef may be a cliche, but it is wonderful. Interestingly, the last half glass after the meal was finished was no where near as interesting.
July 17, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Additional comments
My wife and I started doing these dinners to slow down and really taste the wine with foods. It has been very enlightening. Bordeaux with beef may be a cliche, but it is wonderful. Interestingly, the last half glass after the meal was finished was no where near as interesting.
My wife and I started doing these dinners to slow down and really taste the wine with foods. It has been very enlightening. Bordeaux with beef may be a cliche, but it is wonderful. Interestingly, the last half glass after the meal was finished was no where near as interesting.
A couple of other thoughts
1) This wine won Double Gold at the '23 Great Frederick Fair.
2) When young, it was quite brightly acidic and the Niagara, even at 3%, was very dominate. I don't think any would have recognized it blind as mostly viognier.
3) I think the '23 version is better. We'll see.
1) This wine won Double Gold at the '23 Great Frederick Fair.
2) When young, it was quite brightly acidic and the Niagara, even at 3%, was very dominate. I don't think any would have recognized it blind as mostly viognier.
3) I think the '23 version is better. We'll see.
July 17, 2025 at 10:57 PM
A couple of other thoughts
1) This wine won Double Gold at the '23 Great Frederick Fair.
2) When young, it was quite brightly acidic and the Niagara, even at 3%, was very dominate. I don't think any would have recognized it blind as mostly viognier.
3) I think the '23 version is better. We'll see.
1) This wine won Double Gold at the '23 Great Frederick Fair.
2) When young, it was quite brightly acidic and the Niagara, even at 3%, was very dominate. I don't think any would have recognized it blind as mostly viognier.
3) I think the '23 version is better. We'll see.